I really have no idea. The entire situation in LA is pretty stunning. I’m not surprised they got rid of Mike Brown, as his pathetic offense seemed like a poor fit for a team Steve Nash. Nash flourished under Mike D’Antoni, but he was younger at the time and they never won anything. Meanwhile the Lakers decided not to bring back the best coach in NBA history – Phil Jackson. It should be good for NBA ratings, however, as this drama should be fun to watch.

I really have no idea how Nash is going to fit in with the Lakers as currently constituted. We’ll have to see how the rest of the off-season plays out.

But Kobe Bryant isn’t getting any younger, and I like the idea of adding a dynamic player like Steve Nash to the mix, even if he’s 38 years old. It’s “win now” time in LA. Mike Brown is a lame offensive coach, but now he has another playmaker on the court to help him out. It will be fun to see if he can teach Nash how to play defense.

- SPORTSbyBROOKS laments the news that the Cuervo Girls will no longer be working AVP events. Jose Cuervo is being replaced as a sponsor by Malibu Rum who have a stable of the not-quite-as-attractive Malibu Rum girls.

- DEADSPIN has a photo and a story about how Bill Self doesn’t like to be photographed at bars.

- BALL DON’T LIE goes behind the box score to reveal why the Lakers dominated Game 1 of the Finals.

- BLACK SPORTS ONLINE says that it’s time to jump off the “hate Kobe” bandwagon. I say that’s going to be tough to do if he keeps making this face. Seriously, Kobe. Just stop already.

In last week’s column, I covered the trouble Phil Jackson was having with finding a good spot for Lamar Odom to play now that Andrew Bynum is back from injury. The LA Times’Laker blog says that things might be going a little better in that regard this week:

As mentioned in yesterday’s practice report, talk again surfaced about the best role for Lamar Odom this season. Could, perhaps, that snug fit come as a sixth man off the pine? Phil Jackson used LO off the bench for much of yesterday’s workout and after some sluggish possessions, the versatile forward acquitted himself nicely in unfamiliar territory. It should be stressed that Jackson hasn’t committed to this concept, even while noting that a quality sixth man can play starter’s minutes, which could very well be interpreted as a reassuring hint dropped. Thus far, Odom hasn’t been thrilled with the notion of joining the bench mob, but he does dig the increased preseason opportunities to handle the rock.

I think this is going to come down to Lamar Odom’s (or Andrew Bynum’s) willingness to come off the bench. A frontline of Odom, Gasol and Bynum, while imposing, probably isn’t going to work from an offensive perspective. The three would do best in a rotation, which means one of the three will usually be on the bench. For the most part, this will work fine, but what about crunch time?